This blog will focus on the comparative experiences of French colonial soldiers, the tirailleurs sénégalais, in the French military forces during World War II and those of African American soldiers serving in the US army.

Blanchiment in the French Army?

The question of the “blanchiment” [whitening] of the African colonial
troops in 1944.

After the defeat of 1940, the French liberation army, mainly comprised
of Africans and Europeans from the colonies, under the leadership of the
generals Henri Giraud and Charles De Gaulle fought alongside its British and
American allies.“Les Africains”, as
they were called, distinguished themselves in Tunisia (1942), in Corsica and
Italy (1943) before participating in the liberation of France (1944). In the
fall of 1944, General De Gaulle took the controversial decision to replace 20
000 black African troops with French European soldiers, hence the appellation
of “blanchiment” or whitening to refer to this process.What prompted De Gaulle to take this decision
is still the object of debate between historians.

The most obvious reason given in
justification of this decision is given by De Gaulle himself in his memoirs : « Comme
l'hiver dans les Vosges comportait des risques pour l'état de sanitaire des
noirs, nous envoyâmes dans le Midi les 20 000 soldats originaires d'Afrique
centrale et d'Afrique occidentale qui servaient à la 1ère DFL et à la 9ème
Division coloniale. Ils y furent remplacées par autant de maquisards qui se
trouvèrent équipés du coup » (note 1) [As winter in the Vosges
[mountainous region of eastern France] bore risks for the sanitary condition of
the blacks [sic.], we sent in the Midi [south of France] the 20 000 soldiers
originating from central and western Africa who served in the 1st DFL and the 9th
Colonial Division. They were replaced in these units by as many members of the
resistance who thus found themselves properly equipped.]

De Gaulle thus mentions two factors justifying his decision: the adverse
effect of cold climate on Africans and the difficulty to equip the French army.
The first reason refers to a practice of the French military inherited from the
Great War. Obviously based on old prejudices, this practice consisted in withdrawing
the African troops from northern France to southern France during the winter
months.The second point brings up the
fact that the American military had not been able to provide the French enough
equipment to accommodate the enrollment in the French military of members of
the resistance and other French citizens from the liberated territories.In support of De Gaulle’s explanation, Joseph
Conombo, serving as a tirailleur sénégalais in 1944, mentions in his memoirs
that while stationed in Alsace (northeastern France) on a winter evening “on
doit me frotter le visage, car j’ai perdu la mobilité des muscles et les larmes
coulent d’elles-mêmes devenant immédiatement des glaçons suspendus ! “
(note 2) [people had to rub my face as I lost mobility of my muscles and tears
uncontrollably run down on my face becoming instantly icicles !]

However, it may be good to remind ourselves that modern human beings are
tropical mammals, a condition that renders resistance to cold difficult whether
the color of your skin is black or white. Historian Aidara also mentions that
the French military did not always have such considerations and mentions the
use of tirailleurs in the coldest region of France (Isère) during the month of
February. (note 3) Furthermore, Conombo seem to
contradict himself when stating that « Mais, bien emmitouflés dans nos
tenues américaines de combat et bien protégés des pieds à la tête, nous
supportons ce climat qui exige du mouvement, toujours du
mouvement ! » (note 4) [However, well muffled in our American combat
outfits and well protected from head to toe, we can bear this climate that
requires movement, always some movement!]Nevertheless, historians generally agree to the fact that the process of
providing equipment to the French army by the American military proved
increasingly difficult as the Allies progressed in France. (note 5) If de Gaulle’s explanation cannot be fully
contradicted one may look for other factors that may have influenced his judgment.

Being a general and also the representative of free France, De Gaulle
had to take into consideration the militaristic and political implications of
his decisions. Benjamin Stora, points out that the “blanchiment” may have been
supported by strategic reasons, as the tirailleurs were used mostly in
operations that required violent and sudden attacks on the front. The military
command expecting traditional position warfare would thus have no immediate
need for the tirailleurs. (note 6) Other considerations mentioned by Stora and
linked to matters dealing with national security and international prestige seem
more pertinent, though.France had been
divided since the summer of 1940 between collaborationists and résistants. At a
time when France was liberated, it became important to gather all the different
groups of the Résistance under the same banner and thus incorporate them in the
army of liberation.

The French authorities had also always wondered about the loyalty of the
colonial troops. One has to keep in mind that thousands of black African troops
had become prisoners in 1940 and thus subjected to German propaganda aimed at
undermining their loyalty to France. The military also feared the influence of
communist propaganda facilitated by the presence of African troops on the
French soil. Stora also mentions that loyalty to France might have been undermined
also by the simple proximity with African-American troops who were entrusted
with driving tanks and flying airplanes and seemed to enjoy greater
consideration and opportunities in the American military.

Finally, by incorporating French metropolitans in the Army of liberation
France would hope to regain some of its prestige. The future of France on the
international scene may have well been linked to its ability to fully
participate in the war effort on its soil and in Europe. However, most of the
Africans serving in the French army were not black Africans but northern
Africans from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. France still had to rely heavily on
its colonial troops for its campaigns of Germany and Austria.

Whether De Gaulle’s decision was motivated by militaristic and political
factors or by mere prejudice, his decision certainly heightened the tensions
between France and its African colonies. The contrast between the sacrifice
asked from the colonies and the gratitude shown by the French authorities
opened the way to the movement of emancipation in the French colonies.